Stargazing
by dramamelon
Summary: In his later years, Duo's found a fondness for watching the stars. Written for gw500 prompt 228: author's choice. -2x3x2-


**Disclaimer:** The only Heero I have is my cat and he spells it Hiro. GW so not mine and so not filling my empty pockets.

**Characters/Pairing:** 2x3x2  
**Content:** unmitigated fluff, introspection  
**Summary:** In his later years, Duo's found a fondness for watching the stars.  
**Word Count:** 995  
**Archive:** ask please!  
**Concrit:** go for it. Feedback is appreciated. :D  
**Notes:** Totally random piece. The prompt attacked me while I wasn't looking and the bunny wrote itself, I swear. Duo's a mite closer to girly than I wanted, but the words...they don't want to change now that it's finished.

--

**STARGAZING  
****by McJ**

Every night he sat and watched the stars. At least, that was, on the nights that the stars were actually visible. A layer of clouds tended to make stargazing a difficult venture. But on every clear, cloud-free night, Duo Maxwell could be found with his chin tilted upward and his luminous eyes focused on the sky above him. He'd done so for many years now, long enough that he'd lost count.

During the dead of winter, he spent his vigils alone, no one braving the plunging temperatures to join him. With the onset of spring, though, his friends would filter in and out, sitting beside him for a short while before returning to the warmer climes inside the walls of his old, creaking house. Not until the heat of summer would he be joined for longer periods of time. He didn't mind, though. In his youth, he might have railed against the loneliness of a long night without constant companionship. As his hair greyed at the temples and streaked white down the admittedly much shorter length, however, Duo found himself more at peace internally. It was nice to be able to sit in his own company without fear of being overcome by his past.

Through the thick glass of the sliding door behind him, he heard the laughter of his friends and the smooth sounds of pre-colony jazz wafting underneath. A weekly gathering that had been going on for the last five decades, it was Boys Night, as the womenfolk in their collective lives fondly called it. If someone had suggested to him years ago that it would now be Heero Yuy and not himself cracking the one-liners that put everyone in stitches, he'd have asked them to pull the other one.

Not turning away from his stargazing, Duo tuned into the chatter inside, muffled though it was. A smile stretched across his generous mouth as Heero whipped out a zinger regarding Milliardo and pair of women's stretch jeans with flower-embossed back pockets. He chuckled as the aging prince protested the inaccurate retelling of the tale.

Curling tighter into the heavy wool cardigan Sally had knitted him as a Christmas gift just three years past, he relished the feeling of normalcy about the evening. The glass door slid open with a whoosh as someone stepped out with him. Muffled conversation became clear for a few moments, then muffled again in the passing of the door. A grunt of surprise slipped from his lips when a steaming mug of cocoa was lowered in front of him. He grasped the dark ceramic in his still strong hands and sipped at the hot beverage, the welcome warmth seeping into his thin fingers.

"Thanks, Tro," he murmured as his companion settled on the wooden slats of the bench beside him, recognizing his presence without needing to look. He tucked his loose hair behind his ear and leaned against the larger body, resting his head on the broad shoulder presented to him. A kiss was pressed to the crown of his head, then Trowa rested his cheek against Duo's hair.

"Ready to come in yet?" Trowa asked, sipping from another mug and minutely adjusting the set of the small-framed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose.

"Not yet," Duo told him, snuggling a little closer. "I haven't watched Scorpius chase Orion across the sky."

"You watched that last night and the night before and, if I remember correctly, several nights in a row before that," Trowa reminded him, his voice warmer than the cocoa and smoother than the jazz still playing inside. "Come back in early tonight and let me warm you up."

Duo smirked. "You just don't want me to rub cold toes over your legs in bed, you old fart."

"Maybe, but remember you're just as old as I am," Trowa responded. "Besides, Wufei promised to do his Relena Eating Pie impression if I managed to get you inside before midnight."

"You damn cheater," Duo laughed, pulling a half-melted mini marshmallow from his cocoa and firmly sticking it on Trowa's nose. "You're not supposed to tell me the prize for winning to get me inside."

Trowa retrieved the marshmallow from his nose and popped it into his mouth. He slid a warm arm around Duo's shoulders and snugged him just a bit closer. His breath, fogging with the chill in the still cool nighttime air, whispered across Duo's ear as he said, "I won't tell if you don't."

Wetting the pad of his thumb with his tongue, Duo turned to meet Trowa's gentle gaze and rubbed away the sticky marshmallow residue still clinging to the tip of his nose. He fingered the thinning silver hair that feathered across Trowa's faintly lined brow and smirked. "Deal. Let's go see if we can talk Quatre into pulling some more marshmallows out of his bag of tricks. The big kind. I wanna roast some in the hearth after Wufei pays up."

"Or you could just pull some out of the cupboard yourself," Trowa chided, tugging lightly on Duo's own hair. "I know you picked up a bag on the last shopping trip."

"But then I'd have to open my bag. Much better to open someone else's," Duo explained slowly, as if Trowa might not get it otherwise. "Ours last longer that way." He grinned and ducked when Trowa swatted playfully at him.

"Sometimes I wonder why you still have any friends." The tone was amused and Duo looked up to catch the soft curve gracing Trowa's mouth. "Let's go in."

They rose as one on creaking knees and, as Trowa went to open the sliding glass door for them, Duo offered the skies one last look. He offered Orion a sketchy salute and smile. "See ya tomorrow night, buddy. I got company that wants me inside."

The door slid shut behind them, leaving the chilly night air and starry canopy to look after themselves.

END


End file.
